It was another gorgeous evening in the courtyard at Carreau Club for our third week of team challenges. Players arrived earlier than usual for a bit of last minute practice and there was a witchy energy in the air as our squads sized each other up going into the final stretch of the season. With the mystical arts on display next door, one could only wonder if there would be enough magic in the moonlight to alter the destiny that has ruled the league thus far. It certainly looked like we were in for a reversal of fortune as Panchito, powered by rookie phenoms Sophie and Tori, pulled off a round one sweep over Carreau-No-Virus. However, despite a short squad, C-N-V pulled it together and took 5 of 6 in the next three rounds, solidifying their first place standing and putting Panchito’s hopes of making the finals in jeopardy. Adam and Ryan each had a perfect evening and are atop the leaderboard at #1 & #2. Will the race for rookie of the year pull these two apart and spell the ultimate downfall of the team’s chances at glory? Only time will tell…

On the other side of the courts a similar story unfolded. After taking a deep dive in the first week of challenges, Boules Deep has been clawing tooth and nail to get some victories and climb the standings. They took 3 of 4 in the first two rounds, with literally every member of the team scoring a victory. But despite solid outings from Hugue, Jess, Woody, and Debra, and a positive point differential, they ended their evening 4-4 and remain in last place. Team Won got some strong efforts from Rafik, Trish, Derek, David, and Nina, good enough to gain a game in the standings. Paul had an especially delicious evening, going 2-0 with a coveted win over his boss and pétanque mentor…student has become teacher!

All-in-all, there wasn’t much movement in the standings this week. While C-N-V looks like they can safely coast into the final, the second spot is still very much up for grabs. Can Team Won get serious and sneak into the top two? Will Panchito tuck tail and whimper down the ladder to the consolante? And, with nothing to lose, can Boules Deep pull off a miracle run or use spite to play spoiler for one of our other hopefuls?

Only one thing is for sure: if anyone invites you for a nightcap at Judy’s, you should definitely go…just make sure you clear your calendar for the next day!

Results, standings and photos below!